


You Can Only Go Up Sides

by Judayre



Series: Up From Slavery [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Erebor never fell AU, M/M, Smut, Yelling, everyone has good intentions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-16 18:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1358152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judayre/pseuds/Judayre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things not from Nori's POV, or things that just didn't fit the main story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am posting this because if I let myself dither about it it will sit there for days before I delete it for not being good enough.
> 
> Here is some smut to go after chapter 3. Nori is quite hurt and probably shouldn't be doing this, but he really wants to.
> 
> I have very limited experience with smut in real life and none that involves cocks, so I'm not entirely certain this works the way I want it to, or the way it works in my brain.

It was a bad idea. His partner was badly injured and only just starting to heal. But the smaller Dwarf had met his eyes and said "I trust you." " _I trust you_ " when only two days earlier he had said no one should be trusted.

Dwalin couldn't say no to that. He couldn't refuse the honest desire in those eyes. Not when he wanted so badly to touch him. But he couldn't hurt him. He couldn't betray that fragile new trust.

In short order they were both naked and Dwalin was laid out on the blanket covered floor with the other sitting astride his hips. His partner blinked down at him, always so confused to not be pushed into submission. Dwalin was glad all previous lovers were dead because he didn't know what he'd do to them.

He ran a hand up the other's side gently, keeping his touch light over the bandages that were protecting his back. He smiled, pleased beyond measure to get a smile in return. And then his partner leaned down, knees bracketing Dwalin's sides, to kiss him. And Dwalin was glad to kiss back. He was pleased that his touch and his kisses were desired.

And they were desired. His partner pressed into gentle touches across his chest and opened himself for deep kisses. Dwalin kneaded the flesh of his thighs, feeling them tense and quiver under him. He buried his fingers into the soft red hair, holding his partner close without touching the wounds on his back.

He rumbled his pleasure when his partner spread his hands over his chest. The smaller Dwarf tugged lightly on his hair and bent to kiss and nip at his neck and chest. Dwalin reached between them to fist the velvety hardness waiting for him, stroking it slowly.

It wasn't until the smaller Dwarf started squirming against him that Dwalin did more than that. There were so many ways to touch each other, so many ways he could make the other Dwarf gasp, that he hardly noticed his own erection until his partner rubbed back against it. He had discovered where his partner had secreted a tin of something slick and he reached for it.

The reminder of his own arousal was distracting - as were the soft whimpers when he had to take his hands off his lover - but he didn't let either keep him from thoroughly coating his fingers. It was only then that he let his hand reach around, squeezing the firm buttocks to find the opening hidden between them.

He heard the gasp and felt the tension in his partner's thighs as he pressed back, breaching himself on Dwalin's fingers. He made sure to keep the pace slow. He knew that even if he didn't do any preparation the other would let him in. But there was nothing sexier than the desire clouded golden hazel eyes that met his own as he was given wet kisses and stinging bite marks. He _never_ wanted to be the one to put pain there.

"Please."

He stopped, because amid gasps and whimpers and moans, this was the first time he'd ever heard words coming from his partner when they were intimate. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but feared that it was bad. But he knew that no matter what, he would give his partner whatever he requested.

The smaller Dwarf wriggled back against him. "More. _Please_."

And how could he possibly say no to that? He curved his fingers, searching, and was rewarded when his partner arched against him with a wordless cry. He leaned up, using one hand to gently guide his partner's exposed throat to his mouth. Needy moans were his reward for bite marks, his partner's hands tightening over his chest scoring deeply.

His partner was so hot, and Dwalin remembered vaguely that it should worry him but all he could do was continue to push him higher, drinking in the sounds he wrung from the smaller Dwarf. He'd barely been touched himself, but he felt like the heat around his fingers and the way the other panted against him might be enough.

" _Please_." The word was a strained whimper and Dwalin stopped what he was doing. That got another whimper and his partner rolled his hips, trying to get him to move again. "Please. _You_."

Dwalin breathed out shakily, surprised he didn't spontaneously combust. He dragged his fingers to test and decided his partner was ready. The moan his testing got might have helped him to the conclusion. His partner bit his lip when the fingers were removed, squirming for position and leverage. It was hard to hold him back until Dwalin had properly coated his erection.

And then the other Dwarf sat back, pressing back in one smooth motion until Dwalin was fully inside him. Dwalin gripped his thighs, because he had been planning on going slower. But his partner was already rocking gently, soft keening cries escaping him. He pressed his knees tightly to Dwalin's sides and lifted himself up a bit before sitting back down. And now Dwalin was keening, hands gripping bruisingly tight.

They moved together, language made of touches and breaths, and Dwalin thought it had never felt so good before. His partner was smooth and tight around him, beautifully responsive. The greeny gold eyes stayed open through all but the sharpest stabs of pleasure and they way they stayed on Dwalin burned. He was one to lose himself to sensation, but he focused on his partner's eyes - focused on keeping his own eyes open and holding that gaze.

Focused so hard that it was almost a surprise when he came, arching back and seeing white. Aftershocks shuddered through him as he returned to himself. Not fast enough to see his partner come, but he was able to pull the other Dwarf close through his own loose limbed shivering. Careful of the mess that was his back, Dwalin pulled him down to rest against his chest, kissing him hair and his face and rubbing soothingly at his shoulders and the back of his neck.

There would be time later to clean them both off and to tend and rebind the marks on his partner's back. For the moment, Dwalin just enjoyed the quiet of holding him, the bliss of being close after doing something that shook the foundations of his world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Óin lets Dwalin know he's being an idiot.

"Lad of yours is a good hard worker," Óin said, tone deliberately casual as he spoke to Dwalin in the evening.

"He's not _mine_ ," Dwalin answered. "He's--" He turned, frowning. "Explain yourself, soldier."

Óin raised a brow and settled back in his seat. He was a soldier of Dwalin's command, but he was also a healer and older than his cousin by almost fifty years. "He has steady hands, follows directions without arguing, and has a mind like a steel trap. Responsible too. He seeks out troubled people to fix them. I think I've done more with him in a month than some recruits with more formal learning do in three."

"You will not put these people to work," Dwalin growled.

Óin snorted. "They won't be living in idle luxury when they get to Erebor, Dwalin. They will have to make their living, just like any other Dwarf. Dwarves work. We're made to."

Dwalin's fists clenched. "They have been poorly used and forced to do things against their wills. You will not repeat that."

Óin looked at his cousin, unimpressed. "They are at loose ends. They need things to do. I have provided that for one of them, and he's doing fine, apart from pining for you."

"He's not," Dwalin said, face twisting unhappily. "He doesn't know how to say no. If I held him to what we had back there I'd be worse than the ones who hurt him before." He sank onto his cot and Óin was reminded of nothing more than when Dwalin was fifteen and had scraped his knees. "We should have been here sooner."

"We couldn't have known," Óin said soothingly. "All we had were rumors. Towns and settlements sacked and not enough bodies. Could have meant anything."

"And when we found Dwarf made weapons on their bodies?" Dwalin asked despairingly. "Those couldn't have been made by anyone else. They were made by these people. They were made by _him_. And I couldn't stop it, Óin!"

"You did" Óin answered. "You stopped it the only way you could. And now Gundabad is no more and it cannot happen again. You have saved these people and one of them is waiting for you."

"He's not," Dwalin repeated, head in his hands.

"I've heard him say nothing but no this past month. There is only one he would say yes to. He is _waiting for you_ , Dwalin."

His cousin lifted his head, hope warring with doubt in his eyes.

"Trust him," Óin said, more sure than ever that he was doing the right thing to give his cousin a nudge. "Trust yourself with him."

He got up and left. And later, when he saw his new apprentice hesitating outside Dwalin's tent, he wished them the best of everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the next morning he finds them in bed together and thinks "this is not what I was talking about, Dwalin!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are three brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is not nearly so much yelling in this chapter as I anticipated. But baby Ori is just too cute.

"What is _that_."

" _He_ is a _child_ , Nori," Dori said severely.

Nori glared. As if he couldn't see the small body, or the tiny fingers clinging to his brother's shirt. But he could also see the skin gleaming pale as pale, not covered by anything, and the wide wide colorless eyes. "He's half!" he accused.

Dori frowned. "Do you think I'm blind? I know that already! That's not important. He is alone but for us, and he deserves more. He's my brother now."

Nori was ready to snarl out a response. Because how could Dori say that? The halfs were the symbol of what was wrong! There would be no halfs without the Masters and they were just baggage added onto the slaves' lives. They shouldn't exist. He wouldn't claim one as brother. He would never even _touch_ \--

The bell rang.

"I have to go get dinner. Hold him."

Before Nori could protest, he had the naked child on his hip, tiny fingers wound into his shirt and clinging tightly. And no matter what he felt he couldn't just _drop_ a child. So he scowled and sat, holding the child steady.

"Oh?"

He turned to look, curious despite himself. The child looked to be two - maybe three - and he'd never seen anyone that young before. He was young to be alone, and Nori could almost see what Dori meant. Without them, the child would die.

"Oh?" the boy repeated. He tugged at Nori's shirt. "Oh-we?"

The child was _trying to say his name_. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not Ori. I'm Nori." He made the n sound and held it until the boy hesitantly copied him.

"No?" he repeated in his piping high voice. "No-we?"

"Close enough," Nori muttered, bouncing the boy against him. And how had he come around so quickly?

"No-we?" the boy repeated, tugging at him. "Ah?" He opened his mouth expectantly.

"Don't you know words yet?" Nori said with a frown. "You're hungry. _Hungry_. I am too. Dori will be back soon with food." And he continued frowning, because the boy's sharp teeth were evident when he opened his mouth like that, and it made Nori angry again. He was small and alone and needy, but he was _half_. He was part of the Masters that was forced on the slaves, and was just another thing to be used against them.

"No-we hung-ee?" The colorless eyes shone with tears.

"Look," Nori said, almost desperately. If Dori found them like this he would be so angry. " _Soon_. You just have to wait for your dinner. You know how to wait, right?" He patted the thin back, feeling the boy's ribs far too close to the surface.  
The gentle touch seemed to confuse the boy. He twisted around to see what was happening and lost his grip on Nori's shirt, falling over his arm.

Which was of course when Dori returned. He glared at Nori, assuming the worst.

The child looked up at him. "Do-we!"

That stopped the glare. "Yes, little one," he said, scooping him back into his arms.

"Hung-ee," the boy said imperiously, open in his mouth wide again.

Dori laughed. "You talk now?" He held out Nori's portion and started to feed the child.

"I don't think anyone ever talked to him before," Nori said. "We have our work cut out for us."

"We?"

He shrugged, not wanting to admit his own fault. He pulled off his shirt, settling it on the narrow little body. He could get another. The boy squirmed, looking at himself and then at Nori, and held out his arms. Nori picked him up and held him close. "He's my brother too," he said finally.


	4. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin introduces Fíli and Kíli to Ori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ori is right around 50, which I tend to think of as 15-16.  
> Fíli is about 42, so 14ish.  
> Kíli is 37, which makes him right about 13.

Twin shouts were Dwalin's only warning before two young princes leaped on him. It had been long enough since he'd been safe in a mountain having this kind of roughousing that he had to spurred his instinct to lash out and they had him on the floor before he was ready to respond. Then he gave a roar and lifted them both off the ground as he rose.

They cried out gleefully, clinging to him and laughing. Kíli, acting like he was half his age, climbed Dwalin like a tree, crowing when he seated himself on the large Dwarf's shoulders. And Dwalin just shook his head and sat on the ground, carefully balancing the young prince.

"You've been back for months and you haven't once come to see us, Mister Dwalin," Kíli accused, thumping his heels into Dwalin's chest.

"I do have duties aside from you young things," Dwalin said dryly. "In fact, you aren't in my charge at all."

"But you're _family_ and we _love you_ ," Kíli wheedled, petting his cousin's bald head.

"You love mischief," Dwalin countered with a snort. But not so much that they would hurt another, and he had been thinking that Ori was too alone.... "I might have a task for the pair of you," he said before he could talk himself out of it.

Fíli, sitting next to him on the ground lit up like a lantern. "What kind of task?"

"I want you to be friends with someone who's... Not used to friends."

"We can be good friends!" Kíli exclaimed, tumbling off Dwalin's shoulders. He landed in a heap on the floor but pushed himself up on his elbows to look at Dwalin eagerly through the crow's nest that was his hair.

Dwalin pushed the dark locks out of the boy's face. Kíli colored a bit, smiling at the gentleness and affection of the touch. And that decided him. He pulled the boys to their feet, turning to lead the way back to his parents' home. Fíli walked firmly at his side, doing his best to look adult and responsible. Kíli, on the other hand, danced around the two of them, asking eager questions, never still.

Ori was the only one home. Nori, Balin, mother and father were all at work, and Dori had gone with mother to see more of the kingdom. He came to the door to meet them, startling when he saw that Dwalin wasn't alone and looking like he was trying to hide behind the long sleeves of his tunic.

The boys stared a moment and then it was Fíli who asked in a loud whisper "what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing," Dwalin snarled, and all three of them cowered a little. He took a breath to calm himself. "There's nothing wrong with Ori. He just looks different than others you're used to."

Fíli looked suspicious, but Kíli bounded forward with his usual enthusiasm, taking Ori's hands in his own.

"Did you want to come to the training grounds? I'm going to beat everyone in the bow tournament tomorrow!"

Ori stared, eyes wide, unable to form a response. Dwalin rescued him by grabbing Kíli by the scruff of the neck and pulling him back.

"Why don't you get to know each other here," he suggested, only just considering what other people would say if they saw the young princes with one of the halfs. But Ori looked so relieved at the idea that none of them thought about ulterior motives.

Dwalin sat and watched them as the pair taught Ori games of chance they shouldn't have known, and games of coordination and skill that every child knew. They found the old boards for tâb and mankála and taught Ori to play those as well. He listened quietly and fumbled at first, but he was soon beating both of them so regularly that they insisted he just have been lying when he said he'd never played them before.

Dwalin had to come to the rescue as Ori hunched over, eyes wide and gleaming with the beginning of tears. "Is that how you treat a friend?" he growled. The princes' eyes widened and they apologized, Kíli crawling over to where Ori was to hug him close.

They were more sensitive of their new friend after that, but Dwalin could see that they were both truly taken with him and not just bring friendly to please him. They thought hard, pulling out every kind of game - mental or physical - that they could remember. And Ori did his best to learn all of them, trying not to become overwhelmed by it all. A few times he retreated to hide behind Dwalin's chair, but that never lasted long. He was as curious about the other two as they were about him.

By the time others returned home, the three were fast friends. Kíli had gotten a promise out of Ori to come to the bow competition the next day and watch him win. And Dwalin had gotten so caught up in the burgeoning friendship that he forgot about things like the reactions others might have to Ori at the training fields.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tâb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A2b)   
> [Mancala](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mancala)


	5. On the Road to Erebor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is plenty that Dwalin and Nori can do and still be able to walk the next day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SMUT**

Nori's hips bucked uncontrollably as he gasped and arched back against Dwalin. His lover slid slick and hard between his thighs and he wanted _more_. But they were still on the road, and this was the most Dwalin would do with him.

He whimpered, tilting his head to bare more of his throat to Dwalin's mouth, one of his lover's hands buried deep in his hair. It was not something any other lover had ever done - not something he would have wanted any other lover to do - but the tug of it against his scalp, the warm way Dwalin cradled his head against his broad palm.... He wanted to live there, in the midst of Dwalin's desire, nothing but a vessel of his lover's pleasure.

The other hand curled around him and he couldn't keep in the low moan. "Dwalin!"

Everything stopped and Nori had a heartbeat of worry that he had done something wrong. But he had never said Dwalin's name like that before. When they were in the slave cavern he hadn't even known it. It was different, but he liked it.

He pressed closer, almost breathless at the rub of his lover's body against his. "Dwalin," he repeated on gasped breath.

Dwalin almost exploded into motion, turning and pressing them down into the blankets. "Nori," he purred, and Nori had never heard his name said like that. He shuddered through his climax, clawing at the blankets and biting his lips to keep quiet. Dwalin bit hard at his shoulder as he came, and the pain chased through the pleasure, turning Nori to jelly.

"Nori," Dwalin whispered, breath against his ear. And Nori would give everything he was to the man for nothing more than the sound of love in his voice.


	6. Dwalin's Favorite Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is one thing Dwalin likes to do best

Dwalin and Nori were doing Dwalin's favorite thing. He loved everything they did together - and they did so many different things some might think it too hard for him to choose a favorite. But they would be wrong. It was very simple to pick his favorite activity.

It wasn't sex, although that was amazing. Nori was always willing, and Dwalin had gotten used to looking for the subtle signs that told him if Nori wanted to please him or if Nori really wanted it. His husband's kisses left him breathless, his hands made him moan, and the feel of being inside him was worth everything they had been through. They had learned each other's bodies over the months they were together - learned them so well that making one another feel passion was as easy as breathing. It wasn't his favorite thing, though.

It wasn't watching Nori laugh, although that made him almost as breathless as Nori's kisses. In Gundabad, none of the slaves had known how to laugh. To see them learning to be free of the fear and oppression they had known was something Dwalin would have spent far more time in slavery himself to assure. But watching Nori learn new things wasn't the best.

The best - Dwalin's absolute favorite thing - was to lie with Nori in their bed. Early in the morning, when they had both woken but didn't need to get up yet, they could put their arms around each other and just exist together. Nori would snuggle in, pressing close and nestling in the natural pillow of Dwalin's shoulder. He would smile, fingers tight where they held Dwalin. Dwalin would envelope his husband in his arms, holding him close enough to feel his heartbeat. They didn't even speak. Who needed speech when you could hear a heartbeat?

And Dwalin would look up at their canopy, still mostly white, and wonder how it would fill as they lived their life together. And he knew that however it was filled would be wonderful, because Nori would be with him.


	7. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori's thoughts on kissing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from TS.
> 
> Warning for mentions of previous abusive lovers.

Kisses were new when Dwalin came. Previous lovers had only wanted one thing out of him, and to be honest, he had only wanted one thing from them. Once he learned how the relationships with former lovers worked, all he wanted was their protection. He paid for it, he learned to feel what pleasure he could, but despite his attraction to their size and strength he just thought of what they did as payment.

And then there was Dwalin. Dwalin, as big and strong as any of the others. Dwalin, gentle as no one had ever been. Dwalin, whose large, strong hands could touch as light as a breath. Dwalin, who cared about Nori's pleasure. Dwalin, who wanted more than sex.

Kisses were a form of intimacy that made Nori blush despite everything he had done before. Kisses made him vulnerable, which was dangerous. But they also made Dwalin vulnerable. And if the large man, so deadly in the Arena, didn't fear being vulnerable, Nori could set aside his fear as well.

And then it wasn't a chore. It wasn't only duty to kiss Dwalin. He could lose himself in Dwalin's kisses. Dwalin kissed deep, but it wasn't an invasion. He kissed passionately, but it wasn't an assault. He kissed single mindedly, but it wasn't only for himself. Kissing Dwalin made him hot, but not like being caught in a fire.

If he were being honest - and honesty had never gotten him anything so he wasn't often honest - kissing Dwalin felt like being home. Not at first. First he had needed to learn how kisses worked, what was expected of him and what he could expect from Dwalin. But it took very little time for those kisses to be the focus of his day.

Months later, in freedom and security, they still were. Nori was learning to love his life. He loved working in the hospital and learning about healing. He loved exploring his new home with his brothers. He loved watching Ori learn. He loved making love with Dwalin - his husband, the other half of his soul.

But the part of the day he liked best were the early mornings or the late nights. They would lie together in bed, no responsibilities, and they would kiss. Nori liked to feel Dwalin's body against his own, the big hands holding him close, spanning his hips or cradling the back of his head. And he loved the feel of Dwalin's mouth on his own. He loved the way their lips and tongue met. Loved the way Dwalin kissed, as if it were the most important thing in the world. Dwalin worked hard at it, kisses deliberate and deep.

They would kiss for what felt like forever, touching each other gently, sharing breaths. It was a time that was only for them, a method of communication without words, an intimacy, a confirmation of things that didn't have to be said.

They kissed forever. But Nori was always sad when they had to pull apart.


	8. Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori likes Dwalin's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the domesticity/intimacy prompt meme. Braidedribbon prompted sexy touch in a not necessarily sexy place.

Dwalin was a large man, tall and broad and muscled. Nori was slighter, small and thin from a lifetime of having too little. He didn't mind the difference, though, not like he had with some of his previous lovers. When they were curled together at night, Dwalin could wrap around him and Nori felt nothing but safe.

On days off, Nori liked to go out to a balcony at the top of the house and look over the city. He liked to watch everyone bustling about, going on their own business, doing things they wanted to. Or perhaps things they needed to do, but not things they would be beaten or killed for not doing.

Dwalin joined him one morning, standing close and putting an arm around his waist. Neither spoke, content to be together and watch the comings and goings under them. Nori slowly became aware of Dwalin's large hand at his waist. His hip was cradled in his husband's palm, the hand so large that it spanned his side completely.

It felt like safety, as being with Dwalin always did. But he felt a thrill of heat as well. The touch wasn't meant as anything but closeness, but the size and strength of Dwalin's hand and it's perfect gentleness gave Nori a shivering stab of desire. He leaned in against Dwalin's side, putting his own hand over the one on his hip and twining their fingers together.

Dwalin looked down and saw something in Nori's eyes. His grip tightened, making Nori gasp softly, and he bent to bring their mouths together.


	9. Anniversary Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domesticity/intimacy prompt meme.

Nori woke wrapped in warmth and quiet. He cuddled into his blankets, relishing both things that still seemed amazing after almost two years. It didn't take long for him to murmur "it's too quiet," voice still more than half asleep. He felt the shift behind him and Dwalin's arms wrapped tight and safe around his middle. He turned to wrap his arms around his husband in turn, sighing happily.

"Thru gave us some peace," Dwalin answered, warm with sleep himself. "It's our anniversary, and that's private time."

Indeed, Nori remembered how Dwalin and his brother had brought them all out early in the morning to give Fundin and Dóra a day totally to themselves. He hadn't considered it in relation to his own marriage. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Whatever we want."

Nori leaned back to look into Dwalin's eyes, the dark brown still more than half asleep. "What do we want?"

Dwalin blinked once, then pulled him in close, wrapping around him fully. "This," he said when he had arranged them to his liking. Nori felt the rasp of Dwalin's beard as his husband nuzzled against him. "This is good."

He couldn't help agreeing as he let himself drift back to sleep.


	10. Erebor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take 2) Day 1. Prompt: Erebor

In Gundabad, Nori was a slave and a whore. He was used for his work by the Orcs, for his body by the fighters. He had no worth, and he knew it. He had nothing but his brothers. No hopes, no dreams, nothing but Dori and Ori, who were his only reason to live.

Erebor was different. In Erebor, Nori was respectable. He was a healer, with a job in a hospital, a job he loved. He worked with people who helped him become better at his craft, and patients who looked up to him. He was married to a noble, well-loved man who was part of an influential and talented family. In Erebor, he didn't have to live in fear. In Erebor, Nori was safe, and his brothers were safe. In Erebor, no one thought his worth was only in his body.

In Erebor, Nori was a person with worth. And in Erebor, he could truly be with Dwalin. Not just for a day, or a season. Not just until the Arena took him. In Erebor, they could promise a life time. And in Erebor, they could have that life together.


	11. Folk Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take2) Day 2. Prompt: Folk Tales

By the third night, someone setting up the fire and leisure space had put up a backboard for Dwalin. He sat against it that night and the ensuing nights with Nori sitting between his legs and curled safe against his chest. Nori liked to listen to the stories, but he was always ready for a kiss or a cuddle, and would turn to Dwalin with his bright eyes and his brilliant smile as if there were no one else in the world.

It made the soldiers uncomfortable, at least to start with. Dwalin was known to not act this way, and here he was doting on a freed slave. Dwalin contented himself with knowing that they didn't understand how beautiful and strong Nori really was, and held him all the closer.

It was several nights after the revelation that they had been forged together that Nori turned to him with shining eyes and said "you tell one, Dwalin." And how could Dwalin deny him? He considered a moment and then started talking.

"Durin awoke alone and in darkness." Nori shivered a little, understanding how that would feel, and Dwalin stroked a hand down his side to comfort him.

"He made his way out of the cave--" It had been Gundabad, before that place was stolen and defiled, but this was not the place to mention that. "--and saw a whole world stretching out before him, and he despaired, thinking there was no one else out there. He remembered what Mahal, our creator, had taught him and worked slowly to make his resting place into a home. He went out into the forests and streams, befriending the birds and beasts, learning what was good to eat and what must be avoided, and he always looked for others who might be like him."

In the end he had waited more than a century. "One day, one came." It sounded so simple in the story, but Dwalin now wondered as he hadn't when he was young. He looked down at Nori and told him the next part directly. "The newcomer had hair that was richly copper and eyes that shone green and gold, and Durin couldn't conceive of anyone more beautiful." When his father told the story it was always brown eyes and hair brown as a mink. Dwalin had never understood what made his mother smile that way until now when he realized Fundin had told the story about the most beautiful person he could think of - his adored wife.

Nori understood by the look on Dwalin's face that he was being described and blushed, smiling into Dwalin's eyes.

"Durin offered to share his food and his home, almost breathless until he was accepted. The newcomer was Syla, a woman who had traveled and never had a home, and she didn't expect to stay long. But every day there was another reason to stay. One day she wanted to see where the new tunnel Durin was opening would lead, and she brought her axe beside his to explore the mountain. Another day they shared forging secrets, teaching each other how to create works that were much more beautiful for the knowledge that was shared between them. Another day a nest of crows had eggs hatching and wanted to show off. And then she just had to stay and watch the chicks until they fledged.

"Durin was happier than he had ever been during this time. When he saw her become restless, because she had traveled her whole life, he grew afraid that he would lose her. He looked around his cave, the place he had first woken to the world, the only place he knew, and it was worth nothing if she were gone.

"The next day, he offered to go with her. Syla accepted gladly, and the two of them roamed the world for years together, learning about the world and the people in it, learning about stone and gems, learning about one another.

"A day came when Durin missed his cave and his woodland friends so much that he couldn't keep going. They parted tearfully, and Durin made his way home with a slower step and a heavier heart than he had left with."

Nori clutched him anxiously, and Dwalin held him close and spoke directly to him again. "He wasn't there long before Syla came to his door. She had found that the road was no longer her home without him. And so it is for Dwarves who love, even now."

Nori sighed, pleased with the ending, and leaned in for a kiss. And Dwalin leaned down over him and came home.


	12. Breaking Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take 2) Day 5. Prompt: Breaking Habits

Dwalin was always careful, and he was good at reading Nori. He could recognize when Nori offered something because he wanted to and when he did it because he thought he should. It happened less and less frequently, but when he was upset or mentally tired, or when he thought Dwalin was, he would open himself up, returning to that place where only one thing was wanted from him, where he was expected to give himself up no matter what he wanted. Dwalin was _good_ at recognizing it. He knew his husband's body language well, knew what his eyes looked like lit by passion, brimming with tears, full of pain, bright with wonder. He knew what love and desire looked like and how they contrasted with hurt, pity, and despair.

Nori was learning, and sometimes Dwalin could see him swallow the words back down. Dwalin was proud of his progress.

Still, he had to watch carefully (not that paying attention to Nori was any hardship). Nori was getting better at not offering, but saying no was harder. He was getting practice - in the hospital he had to tell patients they couldn't have their favorite treats, that they couldn't get up out of bed, sometimes that they would never get up again.

The problem came with those who were his equals or superiors. If told that the group he worked with was going drinking and they looked forward to seeing him he would go. He would go, although he never drank and the casual roughhousing that came with drink made him curl in on himself. When the director asked him to do something it didn't matter how much else he was doing. When mother asked for his help, he would stop any preferred activity without a second thought.

And he would never deny Dwalin anything.

 _"Bed soon?"_ He would stand immediately, dropping anything he might be doing.

 _"Can I have the last cookie?"_ Even if he had already started to reach for it, he would pull back.

 _"Come watch the tournament."_ Nori always went, even though he didn't like the crowds and the noise.

So Dwalin watched, to make sure he didn't push too much. Because none of it was worth hurting his Nori for. He would come up with something to push bedtime back. He would share the cookie or give it up. He would skip tournaments himself. When he woke and kissed Nori's shoulders, he would watch to see if Nori was actually more desirous of sleep and roll away.

Which made a sleepy "not now, Dwalin," all the more beautiful. He stopped immediately, words taking some time to percolate through his own just waking brain. And then his breath caught. He wanted to hear it again, but there was no guarantee that Nori would say them again. If Dwalin pressed again, it was more likely that he would just open himself and allow it. 

But he had said them. After five years, Dwalin could watch Nori curl further into the blankets, having not even really woken.


	13. Marriage Contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the marriage contract

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I was reminded that I said I would post it but I never did.

On the ___ day of ___, in the year 2900, in Erebor, Dwalin son of Fundin and Nori son of Durin confirmed in the presence of witnesses a lovers’ covenant between them. With love and compassion each vowed to the other: "Who would I be without you? Without you, I stand on my own. But with you, I stand tall, I have confidence, and I am assured. Without you, I merely exist. But with you, my life has meaning, my years have joy, and my days have happiness. I did not know I could love this deeply, and now, I do not know how not to. I cannot express how much I love you with just simple words. You are my life; you are my dreams; you are my joy; you are my love; you are my everything. You are my champion, you are my counselor, and you are my friend. I pledge myself to you today and all of my tomorrows. I will hold you in my heart just as I hold you in my arms. May our hearts beat as one in times of gladness as in times of sadness. At this moment you are all that I know and all that I see. My commitment to you, and yours to me, binds us together and seals this document."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori goes to the theater.

Ori loved the theater - he had since the first time Kíli dragged him to it. It was color and music and sound. It told stories like nothing else. He went to the theater as often as he could, sitting in the back and cloaked so that he wouldn't draw notice. He was half, after all, and was never sure how he would be received.

He learned a lot at the theater. Old tales were a favorite of acting companies. Others had writers who would make things for them to perform, and the stories they told let Ori know so much about the people they lived with. And nothing taught him to read clothes and braids as well as a play. There were so many things that were never stated because the audience could read them.

This was a tale he had never seen before. A soldier had been sent to spy out the enemy. He came to a poor village. In the evenings, when everyone returned home from their day’s work, the soldier sowed seeds of rebellion. The village’s doctor was the head of the new rebellion, drawing in others, letting the soldier know who was safe and who wasn't. When the army came, the villagers were ready to lend their support.

“All the enemy have been killed,” the soldier said, and the audience sighed in relief.

“No!” another cried, and pushed forward an actor who hadn't been seen before. Pale make up had been slathered on thickly and his hair had been powdered white.

Ori's breath caught even as the doctor stepped forward and proclaimed him brother and not enemy. There was more on the stage - the pale actor was professing his loyalty to the Dwarves around him and the soldier put him to the test for it. But Ori was running the rest of the play through his mind and finding there were enough elements for him to now recognize as a story he had lived through - Dwalin and Nori’s story.

But so much was wrong.... He shuddered to see distrust on the face of the soldier - of Dwalin. It had never been like that. Dwalin had accepted him from the first and protected the halfs. And they had never rebelled. The quiet word had spread, but they wouldn't have risen against the Orcs.

His fingers itched for his pens. He had written about his brothers’ romance when he was learning about the epic romances. Could he write about what had happened? Could he make it make sense to outsiders and keep it true? His applause was mechanical as he let memories of that past life wash over him.


End file.
